Aerion's supersonic business jet may be ready for service by 2015; however, it will most likely be available only for an exclusive group of individuals.
Despite the demise of Concorde seven years ago the improbability of its return to service, it is expected that commercial supersonic air travel may return as soon as 2015 with the introduction of the highly anticipated supersonic business jet from Aerion Corporation, according to EDI Weekly.
Aerion’s supersonic business jet will not have the same capacity for the number of passengers as did Concorde; however, it will feature significant technological advancements which include a new wing design and a reduced sonic boom effect. The wing design differs from that of the Concorde in that it is designed for what is called a “natural laminar flow” for a reduction in aerodynamic drag of as much as 20 percent (EDI Weekly). The reduction in sonic boom effect is a no less significant development due to tight governmental restrictions on aircraft sonic boom noise. The Aerion supersonic business jet will reportedly have a capability of reaching up to 1.1 times the speed of sound without creating sonic boom.
Although it is likely that the Aerion supersonic business jet will be available for service in the foreseeable future, it is far less likely that supersonic travel will become available to the mainstream public within a similar timeframe. The Aerion supersonic business jet is designed—as the name would imply—as a small business jet, having a seating capacity of only 12. Being as such, it can be expected that when the Aerion supersonic business jet enters service, it will be available primarily as a corporate jet for an exclusive group of individuals.
Technorati Tags: Aerion, supersonic, supersonic business jet
A British Airways flight lost power to four engines and made a narrow escape from disaster after flying into a volcanic ash cloud in 1982 over Indonesia.
Many airlines with flights bound in and out of European cities were faced with the threat of delays and even cancellations over the weekend due to a volcanic eruption in Iceland and the potential hazard posed to air traffic by the volcanic ash cloud, according to a post from CNN.com. As much havoc as volcanic ash can potentially cause for air traffic, the potential dangers of volcanic ash for air traffic did not come to light in large part until 1982 when a British Airways flight encountered significant troubles after flying into an ash cloud.
British Airways Flight 9—bound for Perth, Australia from Kuala Lumpur—encountered difficulties resulting from the hazard when the Boeing 747 lost power to all four engines upon entering a volcanic ash cloud (unbeknownst to the crew at the time) from a volcanic eruption in Indonesia to the South-East of Jakarta. Although there was no indication on any of the aircraft’s instruments on the flight deck of a fire, passengers and crew reported smoke in the cabin, flames emanating from the aircraft’s engines, and a light phenomenon known as St. Elmo’s Fire on the windows, wings, and over the entire body of the aircraft. The aircraft suffered the loss of power to all four engines before gliding to an altitude below the ash cloud—at which the engines were successfully restarted in time for a successful emergency landing in Jakarta.
As a result of the incident, the airspace surrounding the volcano was permanently closed in the month following, and the risk of flying into a volcanic ash cloud is now regarded with far greater caution and awareness as a potential flight safety hazard. Though it may be cause for great inconvenience in a case such as the recent Icelandic eruption, the dangers—now illustrated by damaged parts from British Airways Flight 9 on display at the Auckland Museum—are nothing to be ignored.
Technorati Tags: hazard, Safety, volcanic ash cloud
Once regarded as the next promising step in the technological innovation of air travel, Concorde met an early demise due to fallout from the sole fatal crash in its 27 years of service, as well as deteriorating economic conditions.
On November 26, 2003, the BAC Concorde—once believed to be a promising key to the future of commercial air travel—made its final flight after 27 years in commercial service. Concorde was the second supersonic aircraft ever employed in commercial service. Concorde remained in service for far longer than its earlier introduced Soviet built counterpart—the Tupolev TU-144—and was until late July of 2000 considered to be the safest due to its nearly unscathed safety track record up to that point.
Until July 25, 2000, the primary Achilles heel of the Concorde fleet was the cost of the development of each aircraft, which ultimately limited the number Concorde commercial aircraft to 14 of only 20 in the total fleet. The crash of Air France Flight 4590—despite being partly caused by damage from a small part of another aircraft which had fallen on the runway prior to Concorde’s takeoff—was the first of a series of evens which contributed to the retirement of Concorde from service. Although Concorde managed to return to service more than one year following the first fatal crash in its history in service, the slump in the air travel industry that followed the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks ultimately brought about an end to Concorde’s 27 years in service.
Since the retirement of Concorde, speculation and rumors have remained active regarding the possibility of a return of Concorde to commercial service. Among other reasons cited for justification is that the Concorde’s only fatal crash would not have been possible in the manner in which it occurred without the leaving of a titanium strip on the runway by a DC-10 taking off just before Concorde—which led to the accident when a fragment of Concorde’s tire blown out by the titanium fragment struck the wing just below the fuel tank, causing the fuel tank to rupture and ignite as Concorde was speeding down the runway, already committed to its takeoff.
Although the downfall of Concorde was largely a result of external factors, it remains unlikely that Concorde will see a return to commercial service due to the high cost of development and maintenance of the fleet—and given the severity of current economic conditions, it is quite likely that Concorde will remain grounded for the foreseeable future, if not for good.
Technorati Tags: commercial, Concorde, service, supersonic
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner passed a full load wing stress test on March 28 at the Boeing plant in Everett, WA; a major step in its preparation for anticipated entry into commercial service by the end of 2010.
On March 28, the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner, a twin-engine mid-sized commercial jet which is currently scheduled to enter service in the final quarter of this year, underwent and passed a full load wing stress test at Boeing’s plant in Everett, Washington, the Associated Press Reports. The full-load wing stress test marks a major step in the Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft’s development in preparation for service.
The full-load wing stress test—a standard test for any aircraft with plans for entrance into commercial service—which the Boeing 787 Dreamliner underwent is easily among the most physically demanding of the structure of an aircraft. The test included the forced bending of the wings upward by 25 feet each—1.5 times the maximum structural stress which the aircraft is be expected to endure in ordinary operation. According to an article by Jason Paur of Wired.com, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner underwent a similar test in which the wing was flexed to its breaking point.
Should the Boeing 787 Dreamliner see similar success in the remainder of its preparation towards entering service as it did with the full-load wing stress test, the aircraft would become Boeing’s most fuel efficient, and would be capable of transporting more than 300 passengers per flight. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is expected to become a popular and widely used commercial aircraft, as a total of 866 orders have been placed by major airline carriers.
Technorati Tags: Boeing, Boeing 787 Dreamliner, development, test
A merger between US Airways and United Airlines would combine the two carriers to become the world's second largest commercial airline.
According to a report from the Associated Press, it has been recently speculated that talks of a merger between major commercial airline companies US Airways and United Airlines could very likely become a reality in the near future. Should the merger go through, it would lead US Airways and United Airlines in combination to surpass Southwest Airlines to become the world’s second largest airline behind Delta Airlines.
Talks of a possible merger involving US Airways and United Airlines have been active on and off for nearly a decade now. In 2000 the first near merger deal between United Airlines and US Airways fell through die to hurdles related to antitrust regulations and deteriorating market conditions, according to USA Today. Shortly following the 2008 merger of Delta Airlines and Northwest Airlines, a second merger deal involving United, US Airways fell through due to complications surrounding integration costs.
Although it has been claimed by multiple sources that the merger negotiations between Delta Airlines and US Airways are nearing a resolution, there remains some doubt that some of the obstacles to the completion of a merger deal in past negotiations will not resurface again. Sam Gustin of DailyFinance.com notes one such obstacle pointed out by industry analyst Robert Mann of RW Mann & Co: the union contracts of US Airways pilots retain many of their aspects which have led negotiations to stall in the past.
The possible merger between US Airways and United Airlines is only one of several mergers rumored to be in the works. There are current rumors of a possible merger between British Airways and Iberia Airlines, and additionally of talks between American Airlines and Continental. The recent wave of merger talks is believed by some analysts to be largely the result of the impact on the industry of the current economic recession; however it is not expected that the possible merger of US Airways and United will be among sources of rising air fare costs.
Technorati Tags: merger, United Airlines, US Airways
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